Golf club shaft



@Ct 3? 3939 w. s.. WETTLAUFER H7970 GGLF' CLUB SHAFT Filed April ll, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet l @ii 3L 1939. w, L, WETTLAUFER 2,77,970

GOLF CLUB SHAFT Filed April ll, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 In van Zo 7' William L. /ezzlczzzfer Oct. 31, 1939. Wl WETTLAUFER 2,177,970

GOLF CLUB SHAFT Filed April ll,l 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 In U ey 77 or /z'llianz L. A/fiilazyr Patented Oct. 31, 1939 UNTED STATE ATENT OFFE 11 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in golf club shafts of the metal tube type- One object'of the invention is to simplify the manufacture of such shafts.

A further object is to provide a shaft which is of a substantially uniform flexibility around its axis.

A still further object is to provide a shaft which is so designed that its iiexibility may be varied to meet the requirements of the particular player.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a golf club having a shaft which embodies the invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective of the said shaft.

Figures 3 and 4 are transverse sections taken along lines 3 3 and -ll, respectively, of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary View of the blank from which the shaft is formed.

Figure 6 is a similar view of the said blank at a further stage ofdevelopment.

Figure '7 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along line 'l-'l of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary section taken along line 8-8 of Figure 2.

Figure 9 is a section taken along line 9-9 of Figure 6 and shows the shape of the blank at an intermediate stage of the tube forming operation.

Figure 10 is a section similar to Figure 9 showing the blank after completion of the tube forming operation.

Figure 11 is a perspective View of one of the bands which are utilized to control the eXibility of the shaft.

Figure 12 is an end View of the ring which is employed to hold the said band against axial displacement.

Figure 13 is a View similar to Figure 2 and illustrates a modified form of shaft.

Figure 14 is a fragmentary view in plan of the blank from which the said shaft is produced.

Figure 14a is a similar view of the blank at a further stage of its development.

Figure 15 is a transverse section taken along line l5--l5 of Figure 13.

Figure 16 is a section similar to Figure 15 and shows the shaft just prior to the final stage of development.

Figure 17 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along line l--l'i of Figure 14a.

Figure 18 is a view similar to Figure 13 and shows another embodiment of the invention.

y Figure i9 is a fragmentary view in plan of the blank from which the shaft is produced.

Figure 2U is a transverse section taken along line 2li-2li of Figure 18.

Figure 21 is a view similar to Figure 20 and shows the shaft just prior to its final stage of development.

Figure 22 is a perspective View of a modified form of the shaft shown in Figure 2.

Figure 23 is a fragmentary View in pian of one of the blank sections from which the said shaft is produced.

Figure 23a, is a similar View of the said blank section at a further stage of its development.

Figure 24 is a transverse section taken along line 2li-24 of Figure 22.

Figures 25 and 26- are sections similar to Figure 24 showing the blank sections as they appear at intermediate stages of the development of the shaft.

Figure 27 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along line 27-21 of Figure 23a.

Figure 28 is a View similar to Figure 22 showing a further modified form of the shaft.

Figures 29 and 30 are fragmentary perspective views of the blank sections which are employed to produce the said shaft,

Figure 31 is a fragmentary section taken along line Sl-l of Figure 28.

The golf club which is illustrated in Figure 1 includes a shaft 35, a head 36 and a sleeve 3l which encases that portion of the shaft which is grasped in the hands of the player, the said shaft being tubular in cross-section and tapering in conventional manner from the end which carries the sleeve toward the end which carries the head.

In accordance with the invention the shaft 35 is produced from a sheet metal blank 38 (Figure 5). The latter is in the form of an elongated strip (which is slightly tapered) and is notched along one edge as indicated at 39 to provide projections ill which are generally hexagonal in shape and along the opposite edge as indicated at 4l to provide projections 512. The latter conform in shape to and are located opposite the notches 39 While the projections @il conform in shape to and are located opposite the notches lil. Tongues i3 are formed at the outer ends of the projections d and ft2, the projections ll being notched at their sides as indicated at 44. Perforations 45 are formed along each side of the blank 38, the said perforations being located along lines which connect the bases of the two series of projections.

The invention contemplates the formation of the blank 38 into a tube. 'Dur-innr this operation the projections 4d are caused to enter the notches 4| while the projections l2 caused to enter the notches S. In order to facilitate entry of the said projections into the said notches, the tongues 43 are preferably first bent at right angles to the body of the blank as best shown in Figures 6 and 'l'. Hence upon completion of the tube forming operation the tongues 43 extend toward the center of the tube (see Figure 10). Thereafter the said tongues are again bent, as illustrated in Figure fl, so that they engage under the abutting edges of the blank. The tube, therefore, will retain its shape, the projections 40 and 42 interlocking with one another and being held in such relation by the tongues 53. The construction described has the advantage that it provides a shaft having a flexibility Which is substantially uniform around its axis.

Means is provided for varying the flexibility of the shaft so that the club may be adapted to the requirements of the particular player. To this end bands 45 are arranged upon the said shaft at spaced intervals. Preferably the said bands are tapered slightly to conform to the taper of the shaft and are adjustable along the latter to increase or decrease the pressure with which the abutting edges of the projections Mi and 42 engage one another. The bands are secured in the desired positions by resilient rings l? which t around the shaft and which are formed with inwardly bent ends lla which may be inserted in either the notches lli or the perforations G5. The tendency of bands @f3 is 'to slip toward the small end of the shaft. I-Ience by arranging the rings 41 between them and the end of the shaft which carries the head 35 the bands may be caused to remain in the desired positions.

It will be apparent that adjustment of the bands toward the large end of the shaft increases the pressure with which the abutting edges of the projections d@ and i2 engage one another and hence a greater resistance to relative movement between said edges is offered. The shaft is thus rendered less flexible. On the other hand adjustment of the bands 45 toward the small end of the shaft reduces the pressure with which the abutting edges of the projections 40 and 42 engage one another and hence a less resistance to relative movement between the said edges is offered. The shaft in this case is rendered more flexible. In this connection it is to be understood that the bands 46 control the flexibility of a predetermined section of the shaft and hence in their adjustment in the manner described the abutting edges of the projections 40 and 42 of certain sections of the shaft may be caused to engage one another with a different pressure than the abutting edges of the projections of other of the sections of the said shaft. In other words the bands i8 are not only adjustable to vary flexibility of the shaft throughout its entire length but they are also adjustable to vary the exibility of a particular section of the said shaft.

A modified form of shaft is illustrated in Figure 13. In this embodiment the said shaft is produced from a sheet metal blank 48. The latter is in the form of a strip and is notched along one side as indicated at 49 to provide projections 50 and along the opposite side as indicated at 5| to provide projections 52. The projections in this embodiment have five sides. However, they conform in shape to the oppositely located notches and are formed at their outer ends to provide tongues 53. The latter are bent at right angles (see Figures 14aJ and 17) prior to the operation in which the blank is formed into a tube and after such operation are bent so that they engage the under sides of the abutting edges of the blank as best shown in Figure 15. Bands such as indicated at 54 are preferably arranged upon the shaft in order to control its flexibility, the said bands being adjusted along the shaft until the pressure with which the abutting edges of the projections and 52 engage one another is such that the desired degree of flexibility is attained. The bands 54 may then be soldered or otherwise secured to the shaft in the positions to which they are adjusted.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figure 18 the shaft is produced from a sheet metal blank 55 (Figure 19) Which is notched along opposite sides as indicated at 56 to provide pointed projections 51, the projections along one side being located opposite the notches along the opposite side. During the operation in which the blank 55 is formed into a tube the projections are bent at their bases as best shown in Figure 21, the shoulders 58 which are thus provided tting against those portions of the opposite edge of the blank which are located between the bases of the co-operating projections. Thereafter the projections 5l are preferably bent so that they fit conformably against the inner wall of the tube as illustrated in Figure 20. Bands such as indicated at 59 are arranged at spaced intervals along the shaft and hold the latter in its tubular shape. Each of the said bands is adjustable axially of the shaft in order to control the flexibility of the latter. For this purpose an end of the said band is formed to provide a cam 60. The latter engages a cam 6I which is formed upon the adjacent end of a collar 52, the said collar having a circumferentially extending slot 63 and being rotatable upon the shaft. A screw 64 which is carried by the said shaft extends through the'slot 63 and permits rotative movement of the collar 62 while pre venting its movement axially of the shaft. It will be apparent that owing to the taper of the shaft the band 59 will remain in engagement with the collar 62. Thus upon rotation of the said collar in a clockwise direction the band 59 is moved toward the large end of the shaft to decrease the iiexibility of the latter while rotation of the said collar in a counter-clockwise direction will permit the band 59 to move toward the small end of the shaft to increase its flexibility, it being understood that the screw 64 is loosened to permit such adjustments and tightened to lock; the parts in their new positions when such adjustments have been completed.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figure 22 the shaft is produced from two sheet metal blanks such as indicated at 65 (Figure 23), each of the said blanks being notched along opposite sides as at EE to provide projections 61 which, similarly to the embodiments shown in Figures 1 and 13, have undercut sides. The projections on each of the blanks conform in shape to notches in the other and are formed at their cuter ends with tongues 68. After formation of the projections 61 the said tongues are bent substantially at right angles as best shown in Figures 23a and 27. Thereafter the blanks 65 are formed into semi-cylinders (Figure 25) which are then assembled so that the projections of each fit in the notches of the other (Figure 26).

Upon completion of this operation the tongues 68 of each semi-cylinder are bent as shown in Figure 24 so that they engage the marginal edge of the companion semi-cylinder, whereby to hold the said parts together. Bands such as indicated at 69 are arranged at spaced intervals along the shaft. The said bands are soldered or otherwise secured in the desired positions and are available to impart the desired flexibility to the shaft.

The shaft illustrated in Figure 28 consists of two semi-cylinders l@ and 1|. The former (Figure 29) is notched along its opposite edges as indicated at 'l2 to provide spaced projections l" which are bentinwardly. The semi-cylinder 'il (Figure 80) is notched along its opposite edges as at lli to provide spaced projections 'l5 which are bent inwardly, one end of each of the said projections being bent at right angles to provide a tongue i6. In assembling the semi-cylinders 10 and H they are arranged so that the projections 13 fit against the projections 'l5 with the tongues 'S6 extending through the notches 12. When the said parts are arranged as described the tongues 'i6 are bent over the projections 'i3 as best shown in Figure 3l. Bands such as are indicated at il are arranged at spaced intervals along the shaft, the said bands being rotatable on said shaft. One end of each of the said bands is formed to provide a cam 18. The latter engages a pin i9 which is carried by the semi-cylinder 'il and owing to the taper of the shaft remains in engagement with the said pin. It will be apparent that when th-e band il is rotated in one direction the pin l causes it to move toward the large end of the shaft while when it is rotated in the opposite direction the said pin permits the band to move toward the small end of the shaft. Thus the bands l'l may be moved lengthwise of the shaft to adjust its flexibility in accordance with the requirements of the particular player. Preferably the cam 'i8 is serrated as indicated at B0 to provide indentations which the pin 'i9 enters to lock the band il in the position to which it is adjusted. Openings 8i may be formed at diametrically opposed points in the said band to accommodate the prongs of the tool which is employed to make the adjustments described.

The shafts of the various embodiments illustrated are formed from blanks which are produced from metal sheets in simple die-stamping operations. rlhe cost of manufacture is, therefore, low. In each case also the abutting edges of the blank are utilized to control the flexibility of the shaft. The said edges, however, are so formed that they do not stiifen or reinforce substantially the shaft along the joint which they define. The shaft, therefore, is of a substantially uniform iiexibility around its axis.

I claim as my invention:

1. A golf club shaft comprising a sheet metal tube, said tube having a longitudinally extending joint, the edges which denne said joint being notched to provide projections which interlock with one another and means which encircles said tube and which causes the abutting edges of said projections to engage one another with a pressure which will impart the desired degree of flexibility to the tube by controlling relative movement between the abutting edges of said projections.

2. A golf club shaft comprising a sheet metal tube, said tube having a longitudinally -extending joint, the edges which define said joint being notched to provide projections which interlock with one another, means for holding said edges so as to maintain the interlocking relation between said projections and a band which encircles said tube and which causes the abutting edges of said projections to engage one another with a pressure which will impart the desired degree of exibility tothe tube by controlling relative movement between the abutting edges of said projections.

3. A golf clubv shaft comprising a sheet metal tube, said tube having a longitudinally extending joint, the edges which dene said joint being notched to provide projections which interlock with one another and means which encircles said tube and which causes the abutting edges of said projections to engage one another with a pressure which will impart the desired degree of flexibility to the tube by controlling relative movement between the abutting edges of said projections, said means being adjustable to vary the flexibility of said tube.

4. A golf club shaft comprising a tapered sheet metal tube, said tube having a longitudinally extending joint, the edges which define said joint being notched to provide projections which interlock with on-e another, a band which encircles said tube and which causes the abutting edges of said projections to engage one another with a pressure which willirnpart the desired degree of flexibility to the tube by controlling relative movement between the abutting edges of said projections, said band being adjustable axially of said tube to vary its iiexibility and means for securing said band against axial movement in the position to which it is adjusted.

5. A golf club shaft comprising a tapered sheet metal tube, said tube having a longitudinally extending joint, the edges which define said joint being notched to provide projections which have undercut sides and which interlock with one another, tongues formed on the outer ends of said projections which engage under said edges to maintain the interlocking relation between said projections and a band which encircles said tube and which causes the abutting edges of said projections to engage one another with a pressure which will impart the desired degree of flexibility to the tube by controlling relative movement between the abutting edges of said projections, said band being adjustable axially of said shaft to vary its flexibility.

6. A golf club shaft comprising an elongated sheet metal strip which is notched along its longitudinal edges to provide two linear series of projections and which is sov formed that the projections of one series interlock with those of the other series and means which encircles -said tube and which causes the abutting edges of said projections to engage one another with a pressure which will impart the desired degree of iiexibility to the tube by controlling relative movement between the abutting edges of said projections.

'7. A golf club shaft comprising an elongated tapered sheet metal strip which is notched along its longitudinal edges to provide two linear series of projections, the projections of each series having undercut sides and conforming in shape to the notches defined by the companion series of projections, said strip being formed into a tube so that the projections of one series interlock with those of the other series, tongues formed upon the outer endsr of the said projections which engage under the opposite edges of said strip to maintain the interlocking relation between said projections, a band which encircles said tube and which causes the abutting edges of said projections to engage one another with a pressure which will impart the desired degree of flexibility to the tube by controlling relative movement between the abutting edges of said projections, said band being adjustable axially of said shaft to vary its flexibility and means for securing said band in the position to which it is adjusted.

8. A golf club shaft comprising a tapered sheet metal tube, said tube being formed with a longitudinal series of apertures and having a longitudinally extending joint, the edges which define said joint being notched to provide projections which interlock with one another, a band which encircles said tube and which imparts to it the desired degree of flexibility to the tube by controlling relative movement between the abutting edges of said projections, said band being adjustable axially of said tube to vary its flexibility and a resilient ring for securing said band in the position to which it is adjusted, said ring having a laterally extending end which is adapted to be inserted into one of said apertures.

9. A golf club shaft comprising a tapered sheet metal tube, said tube having a longitudinally extending joint, the edges which define said joint being notched to provide projections which interlock with one another, a band which encircles said tube and which causes the abutting edges of said projections to engage one another with a pressure which will impart the desired degree of flexibility to the tube by controlling relative movement between the abutting edges of said projections, said band being formed at one end to provide a cam, a collar which is arranged on said shaft and which is formed to provide a cam which engages said first mentioned cam, said collar being formed with a circumferential slot and a screw carried by said tube which extends through said slot, said screw when loosened being adapted to permit rotary movement of said collar to effect movement of said band axially of said shaft to vary the flexibility of the latter.

10. A golfclub shaft comprising a tapered sheet metal tube, said tube having a longitudinally extending joint, the edges which deflne said joint being notched to provide projections which interlock with one another, a laterally extending projection which is provided upon said tube and a band which-encircles said tube and which causes the abutting edges of said projections to engage one another with a pressure which will impart the desired degree of flexibility to the tube by controlling relative movement between the abutting edges of said projections, said band being adjustable axially of said shaft to vary its ilexibility and being formed to provide a cam which engages said laterally extending projection, whereby axial movement of said band in the desired direction may be effected by rotating it.

11. A golf club shaft comprising a sheet metal tube, said tube having a longitudinally extending joint, the edges which define said joint being notched to provide projections which are bent inwardly toward the center of said tube and which t against one another, the ends of certain of said projections being bent over the ends of other of said projections so as to secure the said edges together and a band which encircles said tube and which causes the abutting edges of said projections to engage one another with a pressure which will impart the desired degree of flexibility to the tube by controlling relative movement between the abutting edges of said projections.

WILLIAM L. WETTLAUFER. 

